Liszt and Chopin

Yesterday morning as I arrived at work I stepped gingerly between the inert lumps of mildewed duvet, last week’s Metro and cardboard. Understandably there was a bellow when my boot wavered uncertainly over what could have been a section of paving and then came down heavily on a hand. Apologising profusely, I fumbled about for my keys while trying not to add insult to injury by spilling the piping hot contents of my coffee cup over the sleepers. The owner of the crushed fingers peered blearily up at me from under a mop of blond hair.

“Good morning.”

Startled, I dropped my keys in his lap and stumbling to retrieve them, stood on his ankle.

“Ouch!”

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry.”

“That’s perfectly alright. It was time to wake up anyway.”

He grinned crookedly at me.

“What’s on the programme today?”

“I beg your pardon?!” (I’ve never actually said “I beg your pardon” to anyone in my life, but you know those occasions when it’s really the only phrase which captures the essence of surprise.)

“The Lunchtime Concert, anything interesting?”

He sat up, leaning his back against the door jam and awaiting my response with frank interest.

“Well I, erm, yes. I mean, well, I think it is a pianist.”

He smiled again, patiently, as if encouraging a cute but slightly slow child.

“Her name is Jessica I think, but what’s the programme, you know, what will she play?”

“Oh right, oh, the programme …” I trailed off.

“Yes?”

“Well I can’t remember, I think it’s some Liszt and Debussy.”

He nodded sagely.

“They go in for Liszt a lot here, Liszt and Chopin. Anyone’d think no one else had written for the piano.”

“Indeed.”

“Easier than yesterday’s though, you know, Janacek and Hindemith and whatnot.”

I started guiltily, had he read the blog? Immediately defensive “Well there’s nothing wrong with a bit of variety, it is nice to have a change!”

At 1pm Jessica Zhu performed a very accomplished programme which did in fact feature Debussy’s ‘Images’ from Book 1 and Liszt’s ‘Verdi: Rigoletto Transcription” . I searched the 300 strong audience for a shock of blond hair but couldn’t find his among the faces of visitors, foreigners, locals, grandparents, music-lovers, students, professionals and children. He was nowhere to be seen.